New Media alum honoured with Viola Desmond Alumni Award
Postdoctoral Fellow and New Media Alum Ashley Jane Lewis has been honoured with the Viola Desmond Alumni Award, recognizing outstanding Black women making exceptional contributions to the TMU and the greater Toronto community. Known for her work at the intersection of science, technology, and storytelling, Lewis’ visionary approach continues to inspire.
Pioneering Artistic Practice
Lewis, a creative technologist and new media artist, explores Black cultures through innovative mediums. With a Master’s degree in Interactive Telecommunications from New York University, she uses diverse tools to challenge societal norms and create a more equitable future.
Lewis explains that critical thinking and discourse are central to her work.
“I couldn't do this work without the critical theory tools that have been developed by people like Ruha Benjamin, Safiya Noble, Adrienne Marie Brown, and Octavia Butler, who opened the doors for many people into the world of Black science fiction and bio-art,” she explains.
Headshot of Ashley Jane Lewis.
Lewis working in the Slime Tech Lab, a mobile science lab developed in collaboration with Ayodamola Tanimowo Okunseinde. Image courtesy of Women Techmakers.
She discusses the work of Audrey Lorde, who famously articulates that the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house. To Lewis, these theories illustrate the link between Black liberties and art, science, and technology.
Breaking New Ground as a Postdoctoral Fellow
Watch this mini-documentary from Google’s Women Techmakers program about Lewis’ use of slime mold to drive conversations about equity.
As a TMU Postdoctoral Fellow, Lewis is studying slime mold to spark conversations about resilience and adaptability in Black communities. "My research will focus on how slime mold and mycelium—naturally occurring multi-cellular networks—may offer a model for Black communities, enhancing mutual aid, community care, networked information, and distribution of resources,” Lewis explains.
Honouring Viola Desmond's Legacy
The Viola Desmond Alumni Award, named after the civil rights icon who fought racial segregation in the 1940s, celebrates Black women at TMU who have made significant contributions to their fields and communities. Lewis' work has received international recognition, even appearing on the White House website during the Obama administration. This exposure has helped her connect with Black communities and discover cherished collaborators.
Lewis leading a workshop discussing Black culture and using mycelium-inoculated paper in The Creative School’s Design Fabrication Zone.
Despite the accolades, her main inspiration comes from her community and the creatives, technologists, and academics who paved the way. “I wouldn't be where I am today without the support I've received from Black people like Grace-Camille Munroe, Director of the Black Scholarship Institute, who have opened the door behind them to let me in. I intend to do the same, using platform to create more opportunities for other Black technologists, artists, and scientists.”
Lewis crafting mycelium-inoculated paper sculptures with workshop participants in The Creative School’s Design Fabrication Zone.
Workshop participant crafting sculpture in The Creative School’s Design Fabrication Zone.
Advocacy and Education
In addition to her artistic achievements, Lewis is a dedicated advocate and educator who has taught over 3,500 young people how to code. Recognized among the top 100 Black Women to Watch in Canada, she works tirelessly to make the tech industry more inclusive.
“It's incredible to imagine that there is a thread between the woman who created—through an act of defiance—more freedoms for my existence. We, as black people, are all indebted to the confidence and bravery that Viola Desmond demonstrated. I hope to be able to articulate even just a small fraction of that bravery in my work and beyond.”
The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University
The Creative School is a dynamic faculty that is making a difference in new, unexplored ways. Made up of Canada’s top professional schools and transdisciplinary hubs in media, communication, design and cultural industries, The Creative School offers students an unparalleled global experience in the heart of downtown Toronto.